Chapter 10 - My Own Words Against Me
Ethan's countermove came through the board. He argued that my hemorrhage resulted from an undiagnosed placental condition and that no staffing plan could have prevented it. Then he requested my removal as COO for filing a complaint against a company I partly owned. The board attorney asked if I had approved the miracle-birth launch. Ethan watched me before answering for me. "Avery designed the operating model," he said. It was true enough to wound. He also froze our joint credit line, claiming the review threatened June's future expenses. Paige called it financial caution; I called it leverage. At the first hearing, Ethan produced no secret evidence. He simply read my own old language aloud: premium families deserve seamless priority. I had written that slogan for investors, meaning coordinated care, not selective survival. Caleb would not look at me. When I asked why, he said, "Because I warned you what 'priority' meant here, and you told me to stop making everything sound dangerous."
